-- Bill took Hayley to the hospital for a HEADACHE?

-- Mona has been given a huge glow-up since the show started. She looks good, but I'm not sure I like the change. They've done it with Jan, too. I think I'd like more separation between the haves and have-nots.

-- The religious stuff from Mona was too much. Hitting Randy like that within a minute of seeing him? She proselytized like a Jehovah's Witness showing up at your house.

-- And Mona knows Randy is a good man? What?

-- 20 minutes after Bill makes a donation to cancer research, Madison gets a job offer? Uh....ok.

-- It's hilarious that Golden Corral Casino Mobster Joey's #1 guy is dumbass Randy, who he continually threatens and warns.

13 hours ago, ranger1rg said:

-- Bill took Hayley to the hospital for a HEADACHE?

-- Mona has been given a huge glow-up since the show started. She looks good, but I'm not sure I like the change. They've done it with Jan, too. I think I'd like more separation between the haves and have-nots.

-- The religious stuff from Mona was too much. Hitting Randy like that within a minute of seeing him? She proselytized like a Jehovah's Witness showing up at your house.

I think the actress playing Mona is talented and I'm thinking she must have gotten a raise from Nicole hence the upgrade. In regards to Jan, she should think about saving her coins in case her boss Vanessa decides to play house with Joey permanently.

I hate having religion forced down my throat and with it being both Lent & Ramadan.. it's hitting on all fronts.

I think showing how religion has made Mona a good person rather than telling the audience would be a step in the right direction.

Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by Soaplovers

On 2/19/2026 at 6:19 AM, ranger1rg said:

-- Slater is fine, I guess. I'm still a blockhead on breakdowns. None of them seem bad to me and I didn't know what's good.

I’m no expert in script breakdown, but I was thrilled to see Natalie Minardi Slater’s name on the episodes. I remember her from my favorite Y&R era (1999–2001), and every time she reminds me what a good breakdown looks like. I’ll try to explain what I mean:

• Every scene needs to end on a high note—call it a mini-cliffhanger. And it should flow organically into the next scene whenever possible.

• If you have two separate groups of characters involved in the same storyline (for example, Hayley and Randy at that hideous mall café, and Bill and Tomas at Bill’s office), their scenes should be paired and structured as part of a compound sequence.

• Soaps operate like a chessboard—scenes are theoretically happening simultaneously. But sometimes too much happens in Scene A for Scene B to convincingly feel like it’s occurring at the same time and it’s a continuation of their earlier scene. Or maybe there’s a commercial break in between scene A and scene B. In that case, Scene B can’t just pick up exactly where it left off—you need to signal that time has passed. A strong breakdown writer would insert a phone call or another device to subtly indicate that a bit of time has elapsed since we last saw those characters.

Further random thoughts:

• I thought Dani mentioning that Shanice was gifted a dress worth more than her monthly salary was incredibly crass. Shanice’s contribution to society is far greater than that of socialite and former model Dani, yet here we are—living in a world where a nurse working in a wealthy gated community is probably struggling to make ends meet.

• The Valentine’s episode was a chore. It took me three days to finish it. And Vanessa in that wig? Obscenely vulgar. The hottest couple on this show is the town’s white ho and a white octogenarian mobster. Gag me.

• Derek’s date looked exactly like Ashley. The man clearly has a type.

• Based on next week’s preview, there are still zero stakes in sight. I’m curious where Ted will have lunch next.

• Happy to see Donnell again. And as over-the-top as Anastasia and Chessy can be (I hate that nickname), I actually enjoy their presence.

• Mona is insufferable, and her religious preaching is deeply problematic.

4 hours ago, Aback said:

• The hottest couple on this show is the town’s white ho and a white octogenarian mobster. Gag me.

Jon Lindstrom is 68 going on 69 so not exactly octogenarian.

46 minutes ago, kalbir said:

Jon Lindstrom is 68 going on 69 so not exactly octogenarian.

He's not, but he's also not the one I want to see playing sex games and undressing.

Gates has all these hot and beautiful people, and instead we get Joey and Vanessa in heat? Spare me.

1 hour ago, kalbir said:

Jon Lindstrom is 68 going on 69 so not exactly octogenarian.

Not at all; love seeing him get to have these scenes. Truly.